Weekly 4 - Reading Response

Paul Soulellis's talk emphasizes publishing as a radical means of sharing stories, information, and imaginations of the future outside of the commodified channels of capitalism. There is an interesting contrast he presents between Lucy Lippard’s vision of artistic publishing as a vehicle for activism and today’s algorithm-driven, commodified digital platforms. Soulellis highlights how radical publishing thrives in grassroots spaces amid cultural and political turbulence.

We are living in a new period of crisis similar to what Soulellis is writing about in 2020. DEI is being removed from workplaces and the CDC is recalling articles which reference the phrase ‘LGBT’. Generally, censorship is beginning to enter previously trusted channels. However, the internet is less censored than ever, with Elon Musk removing X’s fact checking and censorship and Meta slowly following suit. While this is dangerous, it opens up new opportunities for the kinds of radical publishing referred to by Lippard to appear on the internet.